Jug with an incorporated system of refrigeration



Dec. 26, 1967 M. MIRGUET 3,359,756

JUG WITH AN lNCORPORATED SYSTEM OF REFRIGERATION Filed Dec. 15, 1965 United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The combination of a receptacle adapted for the storing and dispensing of a beverage with a container adapted for being filled with water and refrigerated to form ice cubes or the like, the container being insertable into and supportable in the receptacle for the free discharge of ice cubes into the beverage.

The present invention is directed to the combination of i a water jug and a structure capable of holding a certain number of ice cubes, the jug and structure being separable.

It is customary in restaurants, to store ice in large bars and/or cubes inside the refrigerators, as well as to store jugs full of water inside refrigerators and to serve them separately to the customer. This calls for a lot of handling, which results in inefliciency as well as possible contamination of the water.

In order to avoid these disadvantages and in particular the cumbersome storage of the water jugs, the present invention contemplates a new type of jug associated with a structure such as an ice block tray, containing ice cubes which can be easily released to float on the water contained in the jug. Said structure can be of a type to ensure the continuous presence of ice cubes without ever touching them.

The jug can, according to the present invention, be fitted with ribs or grooves along one or more of its walls, or a support in one of its walls or at the bottom, in which elements of the ice cube-containing structure can be inserted.

According to one variant, the ice cube structure can be inserted horizontally at the bottom of the jug or at a certain level inside it, by means such as hooks; a handle or such like being provided for in order to lift it out without touching the liquid, these means should be collapsible for convenient storage and for stacking of the ice trays in the refrigerator.

Various embodiments of the present invention will next be described with reference to the attached drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section of a jug and a structure according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross section taken along line IIII of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view from above of the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 of a modification of the embodiment shown therein;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view from above of the embodiment in FIG. 4;

FIGURES 6 and 7 are views similar to FIG. 1 of further embodiments of the invention; and

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of an ice tray.

In FIGURES 1 to 3 there is shown a Water jug 1, in the body of which, grooves 2 and supports 3 have been provided to hold an ice tray 4 in such a manner that this tray occupies practically the entire back side of the jug.

Patented Dec. 26, 1967 'ice It is obvious that, to cool the contents of the jug, it is only necessary to remove from a refrigerator an ice tray 4 full of ice cubes and place it in the appropriate grooves 2. The ice cubes Will release from the tray and float on the liquid and if and when necessary, the empty tray 4 can be replaced by a full tray to maintain the cooling of the liquid in the jug.

In order to facilitate the extraction of the ice cubes, the slots in tray 4 could be slightly splayed or made to slant downwards. A ring 5 is provided on the tray 4 to facilitate its removal from the jug.

In the modification in FIGURES 4 and 5, the tray 7 instead of being disposed against a wall, is placed in a gutter 6 which retains the tray in a vertical position for the purpose indicated above.

In FIGURES 6 and 7, the trays are horizontal instead of vertical. In the case of FIGURE 6 the trays are slipped one after the other onto a cone 8, a number of them can thus be placed in layers inside the jug. In the case of FIG- URE 7, the ice tray 10 is placed in the bottom of the jug and for the purposes of removing it, a collapsible rod 13 can be operated by means of a ring 12.

Lastly, in FIGURE 8 has been shown an embodiment of an ice tray 14 which can be hooked onto the jug. The tray designed for this purpose is provided with collapsible means for engaging the jug whereby the tray can be lodged like a standard ice tray in the refrigerator.

The tray 14 comprises four hooking elements 15 having hooks 16 that swivel at 17 around axles 18 which are attached to the tray. In the refrigerator the four elements 15 are placed in the horizontal position as shown on FIGURE 8 in dotted lines. To use the tray, elements 15 are lifted and the tray is hooked to the rim of the jug by the hooks 16.

The various realizations thus described are naturally represented only for the purpose of illustrating the present invention. Indeed a very great number of modifications can be conceived. For instance, the ice cubes, can have the shape of pyramids, cones, cylinders, spheres or such like, the slots provided for them in the tray structures adaptable to the jugs having the corresponding shapes. Likewise, these structures, instead of having the shape of a tray could have the shape of a column either square or cylindrical in cross section or other geometrical forms. According to one variant, the ice blocks could be shaped like letters of the alphabet which could be arranged when in their slots in the horizontal or vertical position, in such a manner as to spell the name of a firm, or its initials or a name. The back of each structure can thus be used for advertising or for indicia of some kind. One can also provide a modification of the invention on a reduced scale, a drinking glass taking the place of the jug, and due to the structure, and shape of the ice cubes, each glass could be identified on a crowded table.

Likewise the attachment for removing the structure could be different, such as: instead of rings 5 or 12 one could provide a regular flange, instead of the single rod 11, one could provide a number of rods that would be distributed around the circumference, each of which could operate a number of circular or square trays.

Lastly, one can, in the scope of the present invention, provide for the ice tray to be adapted independently as regards the jug, for example it could be screwed under the bottom of the jug or inserted on one of the side walls in order to form a cooling element for the contents of the Likewise, instead of a jug with vertical walls, the walls can be cone shaped and the ice trays would decrease in size and their position be set by the locations where their diameters coincide with the diameter of the jug at a certain level.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus comprising (a) a receptacle adapted for the storing and dispensing of a beverage, (b) a container adapted to be filled with water and comprising (1) elements determining the formation of individual ice bodies when the container is filled with Water and refrigerated and permitting the unimpeded release of said ice bodies into the beverage when the container is in the receptacle and (2) means cooperating with the receptacle for the insertion, securing and removal of the container in and from the receptacle whereby fresh ice bodies can be supplied to the beverage.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elements are partitions bounding compartments defining the individual ice bodies as they are formed, said compartments being open to the exterior of said container and being free of impediments preventing the ice bodies from exiting freely from the container into the beverage.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receptacle includes vertical slides adapted for the insertion of the container into the receptacle, and a ledge adjacent the bottom of the receptacle for supporting said container, said slides providing for the removal of the container when the ice bodies have escaped into the beverage.

4. In combination: a receptacle adapted for containing a liquid, tray means for supporting a plurality of ice cubes, means for detachably connecting the tray means and the receptacle, and engaging means on the tray means which is external of the receptacle with the tray means supported therein, tray means being supportable at the bottom of the container, said engaging means comprising a collapsible rod having an extended position in which it protrudes from the container when the tray means is at the bottom of the container.

5. In combination: a receptacle adapted for containing a liquid, tray means for supporting a plurality of ice cubes, means for detachably connecting the tray means and the receptacle, and engaging means on the tray means which is external of the receptacle with the tray means supported therein, and means supporting the hook means from the tray means for pivotal movement between operative extended position and inoperative retracted position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 387,037 7/1888 Bennett 62400 2,187,387 1/1940 Trigg et al. 62--457 2,496,296 2/1950 Lobl 62-457 X 2,563,141 8/1951 Vazzano 62457 X 2,787,891 4/1957 Hengehold 62-530 X 3,207,212 9/1965 Carlson et al. 80

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,405 5/1865 Great Britain.

1,375 1/1903 Great Britain.

172,798 12/1921 Great Britain.

44,307 8/ 1927 Norway.

LLOYD L. KING, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS COMPRISING (A) A RECEPTACLE ADAPTED FOR THE STORING AND DISPENSING OF A BEVERAGE, (B) A CONTAINER ADAPTED TO BE FILLED WITH WATER AND COMPRISING (1) ELEMENTS DETERMINING THE FORMATION OF INDIVIDUAL ICE BODIES WHEN THE CONTAINER IS FILLED WITH WATER AND REFRIGERATED AND PERMITTING THE UNIMPEDED RELEASE OF SAID ICE BODIES INTO THE BEVERAGE WHEN THE CONTAINER IS IN THE RECEPTACLE AND (2) MEANS COOPERATING WITH THE RECEPTACLE FOR THE INSERTION, SECURING AND REMOVAL OF THE CONTAINER IN AND FROM 